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I work for a company that makes machinery to field fabricate and erect steel arch buildings. Steel arches have many advantages. The first and most obvious is the lack of internal structure and trusses to get in the way on the inside. The buildings can be quite large (we can span up to just under 100'). With a large crew we can erect a building in as little as 2 days. We build a 50' x 80' building in PA in 8 days with a crew of about 30. Two were rainouts, two for site prep and foundation. One and half for the arches and 2 and a half for endwalls. Our equipment is trucked to the site and actually forms the panels on site. They are continuous and are seamed together like a tin can. No holes = no leaks. If you need a hanging point, we add tabs to the seams to allow lights/HVAC ect. to be hung from the ceiling. The problem with most of our completitors buiidings are made of small sections of factory formed panels that are bolted together. Thousands of bolts. Bolt = holes = leaks (eventually even with rubber washers). The panels are hard to erect without proper lifting gear and a crane. We usually use a crew of 8 and a lifting bar on an all terain fork lift for small buildings. The isolated arches are quite flimsy and will buckle if handled wrong.
Even leaving a completed arch sitting for a few days can create a permenant twist that will show in the finished building (don't ask me how I know this). Tying the building down can be somewhat problematic. We weld down the building to the foundation and pour a concrete curb around the base. Much sturdier than just bolting it to brackets. It holds up much better in the wind. I would also plan to erect the building start to finish. Partially completed buildings can come down in a variety of conditions including unexpected wind or snow. I would be happy to discuss this further offline if you would like. Good luck in your decision. Cliff (VA)
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